Charles l



lNrrn STATES CHARLES L. SHELDON, OF AUBURN, NEV YORK.

AXLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,261, dated March 8,1892.

Application iiled January 9, 1892. Serial No. 417,530. l (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. SHELDON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Axles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to axles for vehicles; and it consists, iirst, ofan axle or axle-blank formed of a continuous bar and rounded at thelower edges for parts or the whole of its length, and, secondly, in themeans of forniing such axles or axle-blanks, fully set forthhereinafter, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which'-Figure l isa perspective view of an axle bar or blank, showing myimprovement, one end of the bar being cut away to illustrate thecross-section. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, enlarged.Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating my invention as applied to abar of uniform dimensions. Fig. 4. is a sectional view illustrating apair of rolling-dies for forming the bar. Fig. 5 is a sectional Viewillustrating a pair of `pressing-dies for forming the bar.

The bar from which the axle or axle-blau is to be made may be of anysuitable form. Thus it may be a straight bar of uniform dimensions incross section-for instance, a

seven-eighths-inch bar-or it may be a bar that has previously beenreduced in width in the center and spread. In any case, however, the barmust be of such length as to form a continuous solid axlein one pieceand with end portions that are formed or may be formed into the ordinaryconical journals and intermediate portions which are upset in anysuitable manner or otherwise vformed so as to make the ordinary collars.In cases where it is desiredto reduce and spread the bar toward thecenter this reduction and spreading may be effected in the operationsrequired to round the edges.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the lower edges of a bar that hasbeen formed into an axle-blank are indented or rounded at intervals, soas to form the spots and intermediate rectangular portions y, having thecross-sectional form indicated in the enlarged section, Fig. 2, andadapted to receive the clips. In the construction shown in Fig. 3

the axle Orblank is of uniform dimensions in cross-section throughoutits length between the collars 2 2 and is indented or chamfered atintervals to form'spots and intermediate rectangular portions y.Whatever may be the general form and dimensions of the bar itself, theaxle or axle-blank as formed consists of a continuous piece having thejour- Y nals, the collars, and the intermediate portion integralthroughout and free from welds, so as to preserve the original strengthof the bar.

In rounding the edges at intervals to form the spots upon thebar Iprefer to make use of dies D D', which may be revolving dies, asillustrated in Fig. 4., or pressing-dies, as illustrated in Fig. 5,although other means may be employed. In either case the dies havesuitable grooves or faces to receive between them the bar that is to beoperated upon, and one of the grooves in one of the dies is providedwith projections 3 or is rounded at the corner, so that as the bar issubmitted to pressure between the dies the edges at one side of the barwill be rounded at intervals to form the spots leaving the intermediaterectangular portion y.

When revolving or rocking dies are employed, the projections 3 are inone of the grooves of 011e of the rolls, and, if desired, the saidgrooves may be so formed that when a flat bar is introduced between therolls and passed between them by the rotation or rocking of the rollsthe bar will be flattened and shaped as may be required to make an axleof any desired form and construct-ion and proportions.

In case it is desired to form the axle or axleblank with the lower edgesrounded throughout their length, or to leave square portions e onlyadjacent to the shoulders, the grooves of the dies are correspondinglyformed. Whether the axle or axle-blank has the lower edges rounded for apart or the whole of the length a much more symmetrical form andfinished appearance is secured.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction or form orproportion of axle shown or to the specific devices for forming thesaine or rounding the edges, I claim as my invention- 1. An axlebar orblank consisting of a continuous bar of metal spread toward the cen- IOOter and with the lower edges rounded for a part or the Whole oftheirlength, substantially as described.

2. An axle bar or blank consisting of a continuous bar of metal havingjournals and collars spread at the center and provided at the loweredges with a series of indentations or chamfers w, substantially as setforth.

3. The Withindescribed improvement in the manufacture of axles, the sameconsisting in subjecting a continuous bar to the action of dies, one ormore of which has a series of projections 3 arranged to indent orchamfer opposite edges of the bar at one side to form spots or recessescc, separated byintermediate rectangular portions y, and then upsetting

